Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether a UK-made rocket being launched from a licensed UK spaceport in 2026 is still a priority for the Government.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government’s priority is to secure assured access to space for the United Kingdom.
The Government is supporting the development of an operational UK spaceport and a competitive launch market. SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland is Europe’s first licensed vertical launch site and is expecting multiple launches in 2026.
We will work with launch companies that can meet our assured access objectives to develop reliable, secure, and commercially competitive access to space. We will also develop and strengthen existing partnerships with our NATO and European allies.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they commissioned an audit of Orbex; if so, whether they will publish the results of that audit; and whether the Government provided support to Orbex to enable its Prime rocket to be launched from spaceports in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As with all Government investments, appropriate financial, technical and legal due diligence was undertaken before funding decisions were made. The Government does not routinely publish internal assurance or due diligence material, which is commercially sensitive.
The Government provided financial support to Orbex through a combination of direct investment and grant funding to support the development of its Prime launch vehicle.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether British companies able to clean up debris from obsolete satellites in space are able to compete for UK Government grants.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government has supported British companies to develop capabilities to clean up debris through both grants and contracts, including Astroscale UK, ClearSpace UK and respective subcontractors. The procurement process for a single supplier to deliver a research and development contract to remove two defunct UK satellites from orbit is ongoing. Protecting the outer space environment is a priority for the government, so further funding opportunities for British companies to compete for grants will become available in due course.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the UK Space Agency's brief to support the UK space industry will change after it has been absorbed into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
From April 1st 2026, the key responsibilities of the UK Space Agency will continue to include growing the UK’s space sector, working closely with industry and driving successes and opportunities.
This will be a key element of the overarching remit of the UK Space Agency to: Set the national direction on space including cohering policy, strategy and delivery across the whole of government, leading delivery of innovation and world class science programmes in partnership with the sector and international partners.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist Ukrainian agricultural producers in maintaining and strengthening access to United Kingdom markets following the recent changes to European Union export quotas and trade measures.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029, except for poultry and eggs, where the liberalisation is due to end on 31 March 2026.
The UK Government is now considering options for Ukraine’s future access on poultry meat and eggs.
Under the UK-Ukraine Enhanced (100 Year) Partnership Agreement, which was signed in January 2025, the UK has committed to broadening mutual market access and increasing agricultural cooperation between the UK and Ukraine; and providing support to Ukraine’s agricultural transformation, including on food production. The UK is engaging with Ukraine on these commitments and to support the successful development of Ukraine’s agriculture sector.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to support Ukraine's alignment with European Union agricultural and food standards, while safeguarding continued access to markets in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029, except for poultry and eggs, where the liberalisation is due to end on 31 March 2026.
The UK Government is now considering options for Ukraine’s future access on poultry meat and eggs.
Under the UK-Ukraine Enhanced (100 Year) Partnership Agreement, which was signed in January 2025, the UK has committed to broadening mutual market access and increasing agricultural cooperation between the UK and Ukraine; and providing support to Ukraine’s agricultural transformation, including on food production. The UK is engaging with Ukraine on these commitments and to support the successful development of Ukraine’s agriculture sector.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made on the impact of Ukraine's constrained exports on food-insecure countries; and what contingency plans are currently in place to ensure food-insecure countries are not affected.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine triggered a sharp reduction in global grain supply and a huge shock to global markets. The most recent UN flagship report on global hunger - the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World2025 - has confirmed once again that the war in Ukraine is a major driver of food price volatility and inflation, contributing to rising food insecurity worldwide.
The UK has provided significant support to ensure vital Ukrainian exports continue to reach countries that need them, including coordination with the UN and alignment with EU Solidarity Lanes to maintain export capacity and resilience. Since 2022, the UK has provided £11 million of support for the Grain from Ukraine initiative, and we welcome Ukraine's ambitions in expanding the programme to 'Food from Ukraine'.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote and encourage private investment in Ukrainian agri-processing through UK Export Finance and British International Investment.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
At the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced expansion of British International Investment's (BII) remit to support private sector investment in Ukraine. BII has worked with the European Bank of Reconstruction to establish the Ukraine Investment Platform to facilitate co-investment in Ukraine from G7 and European countries including in infrastructure, financial services and agriculture. BII's investment in Ukraine to date includes providing trade finance to local banks to support trade flows of critical goods and supporting a leading Ukrainian agribusiness producer to help it maintain and expand exports to over 70 countries, benefitting more than 2,000 small retail stores and 2,500 farmers. UK Export Finance (UKEF) has made £3.5 billion of financial capacity available to support Ukraine throughout the war, supporting national priority projects for the Government of Ukraine. UKEF's financing has directly enabled Ukraine to access world-class UK defence, infrastructure, and energy capabilities.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to unlock opportunities from the free trade and digital agreements with Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)
The UK-Ukraine Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement is the central pillar of the UK’s trading relationship with Ukraine. Under this Agreement, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029 (with the exception of poultry and eggs which are liberalised until 31 March 2026), with businesses in both countries benefiting from this arrangement. The UK-Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement supports businesses to trade more efficiently and cheaply, including through secure electronic transactions, e-signatures, and e-contracts. The UK-Ukraine Trade Committee oversee these agreements and discusses how to enhance further our bilateral trade and investment.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government (1) how the UK-Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement is being utilised to support the adoption of precision-farming, digital agriculture and the deployment of remote-sensing technologies in Ukraine, and (2) what support is being provided to the United Kingdom agriculture and agritech businesses to unlock export opportunities from the UK-Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement.
Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)
The UK-Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement modernises our digital trade relationship, benefitting businesses and consumers in both countries. Our joint commitments, such as securing trusted cross‑border data flows and fostering open digital markets and digital trading systems, and continuing cooperation on digital issues support Ukraine’s adoption of data‑driven tools such as precision‑farming and remote‑sensing technologies. The UK-Ukraine TechBridge initiative, which assists the utilisation of the Digital Trade Agreement, facilitates connections between UK and Ukrainian tech sectors, building mutually beneficial commercial partnerships and helping Ukraine to secure investment into its dynamic technology sector. The initiative covers six priority sectors, including agri-tech.